what is a good pet to have with 3 toddlers?

Question

I have had at least one pet throughout my whole life.Shortly before my first child, my degu passed away. It has been almost 4 years now since i havent had a pet and I dearly want one.
My b.f. doesn't like pets but he see's how much I want one and agreed if I could find a low maintance pet that my children wouldnt kill or that wouldnt kill my kids I could have it.
PLEASE don't suggest fish!

Answer 1

http://www.uswebpros.com/?Need_a_LowMaintenance_Pet__Try_a_Tarantula&a=3371

Answer 2

Sorry but for the well being of both the animals and the kids, I have to say fish would be the best bet. Get them a tank of clown fish or something, kids love those.

Cats are far too irritable and it isn't far to them to let children paw all at them and pet them heavily. Declawing cats is a terrible practice and NOT an option.

There are some dog breeds that are exceptional with children, like Bernese mountain dogs and the Newfoundland, but these are large dogs that need a lot of care, exercise and attention. And with three kids running around, I wonder if it the dog can be given the care it needs.

Rodents are great but they're delicate. They can easily be injured by a careless child.

Snakes and other repiles need very specialized care and few mature owners are even qualified to have them.

Birds are loud and often messy. They can become very depressed if they don't have proper interaction. I've also seen many families whose children completely ignore the family bird. They arn't very engaging pets.

Stick to fish until they're older. You're busy enough with children.

Answer 3

Really the big question is what type of animal are you willing to care for? I have 3 kids(5,3 and 1.5) and am pregnant again. We share our home with a cocker spainel, 2 cats, a snake, 4 hermit crabs, 3 fire bellied toads, 1 newt, a tank full of fish and a couple mice(IF we find the one in the vent, look at my ?) I am the one who cares for the animals, clean cages, feeding, grooming ect. All my tanks have secure child proof lids(extra duct tape to be sure). Out of all the animals, the kids love the fire bellied toads and newt the best. They are pretty hardy animals and will let the kids handle them for a short time. The snake is my 5 year olds favorite, it's a childerens python and will only get 3 feet long, out of all of the pets he's the easiest to care for. Snakes eat once a week and poop once a week, so clean up is minimal. If you do get a snake make sure it eats dead food(live mice bite back). Good luck!

Answer 4

How old are the kids? You say toddlers, are they triplets?

Okay, either cats or dogs the toddlers are going to be rough with them because they don't know better. They will pull tails (which can result in muscle rips), squeeze when they pick them up without realizing they are hurting them, poke eyes. etc. A cat can more easily escape the kids but a dog can better handle the rough play. Either way you go, be sure to watch the kids closely so the animal doesn't get hurt and I wouldn't start out with a baby animal for this reason. I'm not trying to be mean but it's a fact of life about younger kids. I have 3 kids myself of various ages and after about 5 or 6 they are more better able to handle smaller animals.

Answer 5

NOO puppies or kittens!!

These should be on the same level with the toddlers, they just require too much supervision and care to be provided for with three small children. For the sake of the animals, just forget those two.

While I wouldn't trust guinea pigs or hampsters or rabbits, I did have a rat for a period of time. They are easy to care for, and pretty adorable once you get past the tail. :) They were recommended to us because they aren't inclined to bite, while other kind of rodents are.

I wouldn't recommend a bird, as we have had many, and they are a LOT of work (and pretty annoying).
Fish are hard work too, you have to clean the tank ALL the time!

If you don't have adequate time to take care of your animals properly, don't get one at all. Wait until perhaps the kids can help out.

Answer 6

if you teach your kids how to treat the pet(which I'm sure you'll do) you can have any pet you want. my son got a rottweiler when he turned 1 and he was great with him. my kids would hide,and the dog would find them,lick them and lay down with them.(trying to hide as well!!!) my son is 4 now and my youngest is 2(also have an 8 year old) and we now have birds,parakeets and lovebirds which are quite delicate; and my kids are excellent with them. my 4 year old taught the lovebird to step up and kiss and the two year old handles them as well. our newest furry family member is linny the guinea pig. they hold him,pet him and kiss him(when he is up for it/while sitting down. i was afraid they would drop him if he bit them but the first time he took a bite, they laughed,kissed him and called him a naughty mousie. but to be fair we also had fish, and they enjoyed them as well. sorry for the long post, just wanted to give you some options,good luck.

Answer 7

Other than a fish ... none. A toddler doesn't know how to treat an animal with gentleness and respect. Either your toddlers will be hurt by the animal, or the animal would be hurt by the toddlers... it''s not fair to either of them ... just to satisfy your need/s. I'd wait until the little ones are older.

Answer 8

hi there i have 3 children one is 5 one is 16months, and they other is 6 months, we have 3 cats and three dogs, they are good with the kids as they have been raised with the kids since very young, i think you can have what you wan to, you just need to introduce the animal at a young age and just explain to your children not to be mean, our children dont bother with the animals really. i think it would be fin to have what you want. goodluck

Answer 9

I'm not sure what is a good pet but I can tell you what not to get. DON'T get a cat or dog, because kids tend to pick at them and be rough with them and the pet will get sick of it and may turn on them. And don't get any kinda rat, mouse, ferrets, hamsters, or anything like that cause they will bite.

Answer 10

With small chidren, no matter what the animal it is, it is SO important to keep them away from it unsupervised. They can hurt the animal, and the animal can hurt them.

Have you considered a guinea pig? Hamster? or degu? No matter what it is, keep it away from the kids reach and only let them see it while supervised.

Answer 11

I'm sorry to hear about your degu passing away. What is a degu, maybe they would like a fish. Not really I just couldn't help myself. When my kids were little we had a boa constrictor. We don't have kids now.